Super Bowl XLII will be a stage for more than just touchdowns and Tom Petty’s halftime show. High-definition TV sales will see a bump due to the big game, and the HD DVD camp is spending millions of dollars on a desperate Super Bowl commercial.
Digital Journal — Today, football fans will revel in the battle between quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady but that’s not the only war taking shape in Arizona: the high-definition fight is heating up as more viewers opt for next-gen TV sets to watch Super Bowl XLII. Also, the Blu-Ray-versus-HD DVD battle begins a new chapter with a last-ditch commercial effort by the bruised HD DVD group.
HDTV sets will be flying off the shelves due to the NFL season’s grand finale, according to a study conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association and the Sports Video Group. Approximately 2.4 million HDTV units will be sold thanks to the Super Bowl, the study reported, making the game the top driver for HDTV purchases for three years running.
The study’s release went on to explain: "The true impact of these sporting events on [consumer electronic] sales is even higher when factoring in consumer purchases of high-def accessories such as HDMI cables, universal remotes, surround sound audio systems and mounting brackets."
The sales of these HDTV sets used to watch the big game will generate $2.2 billion wholesale, the study added.
But the Super Bowl’s influence doesn’t end there. Its commercials have become legendary not only for their high costs but also for their worldwide impact. Now, the next-gen DVD format war is entering this hallowed ground —
Toshiba has bought a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl to promote its HD DVD technology,
a decided underdog against the powerful Blu-ray format. The HD DVD camp is looking to bounce back after a disappointing week ending Jan. 12 — according to
NPD, Blu-ray player sales accounted for 90 per cent of high-def player market share, while HD DVD only took 7 per cent.
This year, a Super Bowl ad is projected to
cost $3 million. HD DVD is obviously sparing no expense to gets its disc players into the minds of home-theatre fans watching the Big Game. But will one 30-second spot shift the tide? And does Blu-ray have anything up its sleeve?
Super Bowl XLII will be a worthwhile event for the football drama, the record-breaking potential and the star power gracing the musical stage. But for technology watchers who want a peek into the corporate mindset, look no further than the Patriots-Giants match-up; the event (as opposed to the victor) could hint at who wins in both the high-def format war and the standard-definition-HDTV battle.
